Aleksandr Maximoff
by teapotmagic
Summary: Left alone in a shelter in Sovokia, 11 year old Al Maximoff faces struggles and challenges that hes never faced before when his older brother and sister are brought into a program known as HYDRA.
1. Chapter 1

From outside, a massive bombing- as if an ancient giant was stomping the Earth in rage, rumbled and sent shock-waves roaring over the trio. Each bombing sounded closer and closer, soon one would hit too close to home and the shelter the three were staying in would be destroyed. "You said you would never leave me."

It was true. Wanda had assured her younger brother for years after their parents died that she and Pietro would always be at his side, it crushed her to break her promise. But the twins did not have any other choice, and they strongly believed Al was too young to sign up for HYRDA. Pietro believed that HYRDA would stop the wars in the streets of Sovokia, and it would allow Al to finally have the childhood he deserved. As pieces of wood and metal flew from the constant impact of the bombs, Wanda bent down to be at eye-level with her younger brother. "You have to promise me you will stay in the shelter, and be safe." Her voice sounded faint in comparison to the loud chaos outside. "It will be alright in the end, bud. I promise you." Said Pietro, ruffling the small boy's hair. And so; Al took in the last look at the faces of his siblings before he would be left alone left in a world of war and death.

The days were lonely without Wanda and Pietro there with him. There was no Pietro to make him laugh, and no Wanda to be the loving mother that was taken from him far too early. Though he had met many other children in the shelter, nobody was comparable to his own brother and sister. He was just a child; but now he had to be the adult.


	2. Reunited

Just a few days ago, Al had turned eleven years old. Birthdays are normally one of the happiest days of a child's year- visiting with family, presents, an entire day of fun. Al had experienced 9 of those days in his entire life. His last two birthdays were quite different. Wanda and Pietro had still not returned from HYDRA- meaning he had no family to celebrate with. While his previous birthdays may not have been your stereotypical birthday party, the three normally celebrated with a cake and reading stories to one another in the shelter they were staying in. Al's tenth and eleventh birthdays consisted of none of those things.

He was beginning to give up hope of ever seeing his brother and sister return. In the back of his mind, there may have been a sliver of hope, but after two years had passed, Al knew it was time to face reality.

"Have you seen an Aleksandr Maximoff?"

Upon hearing his name, Al stood from the dirt covered floor and shifted to hide behind a wooden box. He attempted to listen closer, curious but also afraid. The old woman hesitated, but the strangers looked impatient. "We must know, we have checked eight shelters already!" A brightly coloured red mist began to mix into the air, drifting Al's way. He observed it from a distance, his eyes wide. This seemed to have scared the old woman as well, as she allowed the strangers in. A dash of silver darted and grabbed the young boy, and the next moment he found himself in long loss arms. There were no words to be spoken, and no words were needed. The trio embraced another one another, remaining silent for what seemed like forever. "I-"

"I know," Whispered Wanda, shushing the young boy. "We said we would be back. We never meant to be gone for so long- that was never our intention." Al found himself a bit skeptical- two years had passed, after all. But this feeling did not last for long, for the two most important people in Al's lives were stood before him. "Happy birthday, by the way." Commented Pietro, forcing a smile as he ruffled his little brother's brown locks. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel guilty for leaving Al by himself for two full years. While the twins wanted to catch up with their sibling, they knew they did not have much time. Redness came out from Wanda's fingertips, a confused look taking over Al. "If you've noticed anything different about us- we have been given.. _powers_..from HYDRA." Wanda attempted to explain what Strucker had done to them in easier and less terrifying terms. Al did not seem afraid, but mildly interested. "So what's your power?"

"Telekinesis..I can do things like this," Wanda made a small box float before skillfully resting it back down. A smile plastered across Al's face. "And I run." Pietro darted to the back of the room and back, much to Al's entertainment.

"You're wondering why you can't look inside my head." The voice didn't sound human. It sounded...robotic. "Sometimes it is hard. Sooner or later every man shows himself." Said Wanda, Pietro and Al behind her. "Oh, I'm sure they do." The source of the voice stood, dropping the cloak in the process. The twins stared up at the robot that was known as Ultron. "But you needed something more than a man." The voice sent chills down the trio's spines. "That's why you let Stark take the scepter."

Al took a step back, Pietro standing in front of him protectively. "I was not expecting...but I saw Stark's fear. I knew it would control him. Make him self destruct." Wanda responded, exhibiting no fear. "Everyone creates the thing they dread." Ultron began to walk away from the three. "Men of peace create engines of war. Invaders create Avengers. People create...smaller people? Children, children...lost the word there." The artificial laugh made Al nearly jump out of his skin. "Designed to supplant them. To help them..end."

"Is that why you've come? To end the Avengers?" Questioned Wanda. "I've come to save the world. But also..yeah. We'll move out right away. This is a start, but there's something we need to begin the real work. All of these are...Me. I have what the Avengers never will. Harmony. They're discordant, disconnected. Stark's already got them turning on each other. And when you get inside the rest of their heads...Everyone's plan is not to kill them." Wanda continued to stare up at Ultron while he spoke, while Al stood behind Pietro who was narrowing his eyebrows. "And make them martyrs? You need patience." "I don't see the big picture. I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it every day."

"You lost your parents in the bombings. I've seen the records."

Al finally looked up, his eyes meeting the emotionless red ones of Ultron's. "You know about our parents?" A robotic sound filled the room as Ultron looked down at the child. "I know about your parents. I know about your abandonment at age nine, I know about the wars in Sovokia...my point here, is that I know everything." Both of the twins stood closer to their brother. "But the records are not the picture-" "Pietro." Wanda warned. "No, please. We were nine years old. In the living room, the five of us. When the first shell hits, two floors below, it makes a hole in the floor...it's big. Our parents go in, and the whole building starts coming apart. I grab her and Al, roll under the bed and the second shell hits. But, it doesn't go off. It just...sits there in the rubble, three feet away from our faces. And on the side of the shell is painted one word...Stark. We were trapped two days. Every effort to save us, every shift in the bricks, I think, "this will set if off." We wait for two days for Tony Stark to kill us. I know what they are." As Pietro finished, Al blinked and a tear slipped down his cheek.

"I wondered why only you two survived Strucker's experiments. Now I don't. We will make it right. You and I can hurt them. But you will tear them apart. From the inside. He's all over the globe...robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs... reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place."

"Fatalities?" Questioned Wanda. "Only when engaged. Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see." The sinister eyes gave a last look down at the three before they were gone.


	3. Stark

The first thing Al noticed about their new surroundings was the heavy scent of metal and oil. The second thing was the foreign language that he heard ringing throughout the building. He had only been exposed to a few languages, the African one not being one of them. He liked the way it sounded, fast paced and with a steady rhythm. The final item on his list was the way Wanda kept her hand on his shoulder, as if she was scared, and how Pietro stood in front of their group protectively.

"Want a candy?" The offer brought Al back to reality. "No thank you" he declined quickly and Wanda tightened her grip on his hand. "Oh, sorry to hear about Strucker." The man continued, but before he could speak again, Pietro ran to his desk and returned to his spot. He handed Al two pieces of candy, and ate one himself. The man looked confused, but continued anyways. "But then, he knew what kind of world he was going to create."

"Human life. Not a growth market."

"You... you don't know?" Wanda asked, genuinely confused. Her grip loosened on Al's hand, but she was clearly taken aback. "Is this your first time intimidating someone?" whistled the man, and chuckled to himself. "I'm afraid that I'm not afraid" Al was bewildered. What exactly were his siblings doing?

"Everyone's afraid of something" Wanda retaliated, and visibly tensed. "Cuttlefish." Al had to stifle a laugh. "Deep sea fish. They make lights. Disco lights, "whoom! whoom! whoom!"" The man sent a smirk over at Al's direction. Al had to cover his mouth from his laughter. "to hypnotize their prey, then they "whoom!""

"I saw a documentary, it was terrifying." The laughter died out and was replaced by small snickers and a small smile from Pietro. The man returned to his rough demeanor. "So if you're going to fiddle with my brain, and make me see a giant cuttlefish, then I know you don't do business, and I know you're not in charge, and I only deal..." Ultron made his presence known by practically blasting the office. "...with the man in charge." The man finished, nervous. "There is no "man" in charge. Let's talk business." Wanda sent her twin a look.

"Take Al." Was all she said before Al was lifted and in a flash was gone. He felt dizzy as the scenery changed before his eyes in the speed of light. When he was put down again, he needed to hold onto the nearest object to steady himself, which happened to be a crate labelled with words Al didn't understand. "Just- stay here, and don't move" Pietro commanded and took off to return to his position next to Wanda. Once Al's balance returned to him, he had a better chance of observing his surroundings. He was shrouded in shadows, hidden from any threats. There were some crates randomly placed around the area, hiding the young child even more so.

"Well I always say, "keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which."" Al heard Ultron's voice. "Stark." Aleksandr's blood ran cold. That name alone was able to paralyze him with fear. "Tony Stark used to say that. To me." Al's hands were shaking, once he heard the man speak once more. "You're one of his?" He was unable to control his uneven breathing. "Don't compare me to Stark!" The echo of the angry voice of Ultron made his ears ring. "Oh, junior, you're going to break your own man's heart." The sound of Tony Stark's voice made Al's blood run cold. He wished he could have jumped up and pushed his siblings away from the man in the red and yellow suit of armor- but Pietro had said to _stay here_.

It seemed within a matter of seconds, all hell had broken loose. Ultron and Iron man were both at each other, and soon the rest of the Avengers were also involved in the fight. From a short distance away, Al could see his sister. "WANDA!" He couldn't help but scream out as Hawkeye aimed an arrow at her. A man with an extreme muscular appearance was now looking at Al with narrowed eyebrows. "Yeah, there's a kid over here. ." Al heard Steve say into his microphone to the rest of the team. "Alright, got it." Said Steve, before throwing his shield at an upcoming flash of blue. Al attempted to run after his brother, but stumbled upon hearing loud footsteps. "You from here?"

Al looked up at the face of Iron Man, unable to believe he was standing in front of the man who killed his parents. Unable to speak, Al shook his head quickly. What if Stark killed his brother or sister next?

"Well, listen here, we're gonna go take you to that big flying thing over there." Al looked at the helicarrier, while also glancing around for his siblings. Ten minutes later- Aleksandr found himself inside the Avengers' aircraft. He wasn't sure how it happened- they just didn't seem to take his 'no' as an answer. He was on the same aircraft as Stark. He was afraid. "What's your name?" Natasha had crouched down at be at eye level with him. Al simply stared at the red-headed woman, unsure if he should trust her. "Aleksandr." He replied, the woman's smile a bit comforting. "Where are you from?"

"Sovokia." Was Al's quiet reply. Al wasn't sure why- but his reply made all the Avengers exchange a glance. "So, what were you doing over here?" Questioned Tony. Al still wasn't able to talk to Stark, so he simply remained silent. Al wasn't sure he wanted to answer that question to anybody. Wanda and Pietro wouldn't be happy if he revealed any information to the Avengers. While he was a bit confused on the entire situation, he remembered what Ultron had said about the Avengers. Al took a step back, now wishing he made a stronger attempt to not have been brought upon the helicarrier. The Avengers were bad people. Everyone was still looking at him awaiting an answer.

Tony had brought his mask up, and Al could now see the face of the man who killed his parents. He wondered what Wanda and Pietro were doing right now..noticing that Al was gone. They were probably a nervous wreck. Tony sighed, walking over to the front controls to check on Bruce. "Hey," Natasha whispered. "We don't want to know your life story if you don't want to give it. We just wanna know how you ended up in that battle back there." She clarified. "Yeah, that's not really a place for kids." Tony came back into the conversation. Al still couldn't find the courage to reply, he was far too afraid of the man that stood before him.


End file.
